Babayaga: A Novel of Witches in Paris

"Witty and charming and exceedingly light on its feet. Sharp Teeth got some people's attention; with aggressive marketing and word of mouth, this one should put Barlow on the map. The novel is really something out of the ordinary." — Booklist (starred review).

The year is 1959, and strange events are brewing in Paris, a city where nothing (and no one) is as it seems.

We meet Will, who hails from Detroit and works at an international advertising agency, which is also a front for the CIA. Then there's the enchanting Zoya, who could cast a spell with her looks―and, as a witch, she often does (she also recently impaled her ex on a spike).

Inspector Vidot, on the other hand, is a hardworking police detective who cherishes a quiet evening at home. Until he follows a lead on a particularly gruesome murder―and finds himself turned into a flea. And the adventure wouldn't be complete without Oliver, a fun-loving American patrician who has come to Paris to launch a literary journal with the support of certain secretive friends.

Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of angry witches, and a weaponized LSD program, and you have Toby Barlow's Babayaga: a wickedly sharp tale of the City of Light that's part love story, part thriller, and pure brilliance.

"Tony Barlow is a warlock. Babayaga is his potion. Drink up." —Robin Sloan, New York Times –bestselling author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

"This supernatural-spy-thriller-romance-history is one of the most entertaining books you'll read [this season]—or decade." — San Francisco Chronicle